Freedom Under Fire
by IshiYami
Summary: A father will always ensure the best for their children, even if it means pushing them into a corner. And Monkey D. Luffy will do whatever it takes to ensure his freedom, even if it means taking this whole thing a bit more seriously. (Inspired by Patriot's Dawn, a story by Dr. Snakes MD)
1. Prologue

**Freedom under Fire**

 **Author's Note: I don't own One Piece. I don't own anything. I'm currently homeless.**

 **Here's a story about it.**

* * *

Sea air calmed him.

Or it had, once before.

It had for most of his life by allowing him to envision his future as a great man sailing the seas with nothing to interfere with his fun, but today… The taste of salt assaulted his senses, and the cool breeze felt sharp on his skin. The rain had gone, but the night air remained humid, and the dark clouds kept up, ominously watching him from below.

" _You have no chance as you are now."_

Standing on the cliff side of Mt. Colubo, the young boy, just recently turned 14, looked troubled.

It was not a familiar expression. Though he had dealt with many challenges in the past, and had faced fear itself, he had never felt this… small.

" _They will come for you."_

His eyes shut tight and his mouth twisted, a twinge of sour on his features. Oh how he wished Ace was here right now, but he had left for his own journey last week.

Without him.

Monkey D. Luffy gripped his strawhat, bringing it over his eyes, his only source of his comfort.

Little brother was alone now, and Ace would be ashamed to see him as he was now, panicky and apprehensive. Would he have to live this life? Looking over his shoulder at every moment?

 _The clap of thunder may have stirred him originally, but it was the sight before him that had woken him and left him curled up against the wall, having fallen on his rump in shock._

 _A man in a dark green robe stood in the center of his room in Dadan's hut._

 _Strong winds whipped his robes and had seemed to blown in his window, from the glass spread across his cot and hardwood floor. Rain floated in through the gap in the wall, soaking them both, but neither of them moved. All he could do was cower in his intruder's presence._

 _His big voice and indomitable will was snuffed like candle light under the PRESSURE this man radiated._

 _Lightning struck outside, reverberating through the thin walls of the hut and shaking it by it's foundation._

" _Ac-" Luffy almost called for his brother, but realized he was alone. The second cot was still fresh with his scent, but that didn't change the fact that Ace had been gone for a full day. His lips tightened and shut, knowing that he was alone in this situation._

 _Luffy gripped the plastered wall, and attempted to stand, but his legs wobbled and elastic legs fell beneath him, dropping him back on his rump._

 _Whatever this feeling was, he had to get away, it was insufferable, heavy on his shoulders and hot on his skin. He saw his chest raising and falling, but the sound of his ears ringing blocked out the sound of his own breath._

 _There were mutterings from the robe, impressed at his consciousness, but the Robe spoke for him._

" _As you are now, you WILL die."_

 _The voice was booming and loud, drowning out the banging and beating of the wooden door behind him, held back only by his back as the bandits behind it attempted to force their way in._

 _Luffy shook his head pitifully, attempting to speak. The word die riled him up, and his aggressor seemed to notice. "N-Not until I fulfill…"_

 _Head cocked, he wondered aloud, "your ambition?" There was a curiosity to his tone._

 _His hand lifted, and he grabbed at his own straw hat, looking for strength._

 _Angrily, Luffy raised his head, for just a moment, spoke in outrage, his voice feeling louder than it ever had, "The freest man in the world… King of all Pirates!"_

 _There was a pregnant pause, silence almost more terrifying than the berating he had been receiving. And just like that, the pressure increased two fold, and the fight was taken right out of young Monkey D. Luffy._

" _Your existence is a law broken in their eyes, you must be more than you are now if you wish to survive." He boomed, speaking with the volume of a megaphone, but to Luffy, he might as well have been speaking gibberish. The pressure was only increasing, and rattling his brain._

 _It took all he had to stay awake._

" _Who?" He had managed to choke out the single question._

 _These were not the threats of a man after him._

 _Luffy may be ignorant, but he was still able to decipher this message. This was not an attempt on his life, this was a warning._

 _There was a pause, but Luffy caught sight of big teeth, a grin reminiscent to his own, shining in the newest flash of lightning striking the forest nearby._

" _This WORLD." He answered, as the winds grew stronger, and the man's mental assault only intensified. This foreign feeling of another man's intrusion on his very soul kept him shook, and he didn't know if he would be able to stay awake much longer, the edge of his sight already darkened._

" _Remember this suffering. And you may survive yet," He finished. He took a step forward, barely moving from his spot, but the door cracked open behind him, Dadan's face attempting to squeeze through the miniscule opening._

 _But there was no use, winds grew more turbulent and with one harsh look, Luffy dropped backwards, his limbs growing limp, sweat drenching him, and unfamiliar foam gathered in the back of his throat._

" _Your freedom is under fire."_

 _Lightning flashed once again, and with just that inch of space separated between them, the man's face was clear to him, lips twisted into a minatory smile._

" _Good luck."_

 _Thunder clapped, and Luffy was alone again._

 _By the time Dadan and her crew entered, his head slumped._

* * *

Luffy had been here for hours, there had been no doting on him by the bandits, he had been yelled at for "hooligan" shenanigans in what he assumed was Dadan's cover for her fear of having her fortified territory broken into so easily, but Luffy did not bother to address her concerns. His mind was elsewhere as he looked to the ocean.

Concern for Ace weighed on his mind, realizing this man must have come from the same seas that his brother currently sailed.

But Ace had his own adventure. He didn't need his little brother worrying for his, trying to protect him. It would offend his brother to chase him after seas. He wasn't allowed to follow Ace, for either of their sakes. Not for three years.

It would be breaking their promise.

He owed Sabo that much.

His head was beginning to simmer, he was thinking too much on all this.

But he couldn't help but keep thinking, why would this man warn him? Who was he? What was coming? Did they have the same strength that his attacker possessed?

For a moment, the thought filled him with apprehension, he had never been so afraid in his life.

However, something more important was on the line. Someone wanted to take his dream from him? And once again, his one-tracked mind showed itself and got to work.

His digits tightened into fists, and a growl forced its way from his throat. Whatever mysterious entity wanted to come for him, whatever strength they had, they were no stronger than the promises he had made.

Not stronger than his promises to Sabo, not stronger than his promises to Ace.

And certainly not his promises to Shanks. He had to become a great pirate before he met Red-Hair once more. He had to bring back the man's hat, as proof of them being equals.

And then the promise to himself. That wasn't enough though, clearly. This ambition of his, it had to be said not to individual men and women, but to be thrown into the world.

"LISTEN HERE! MY NAME IS MONKEY D. LUFFY!" He screamed purposelessly, not directed to anyone or anything, his voice echoing through the heavy forested area, and elicited an angry protest and yelp from Dadan and her bandits.

' _You won't ever have to worry again… Ace!'_

"I DON'T CARE WHAT STUPID MIND POWERS YOU HAVE," He felt more powerful than he ever had, able to confidently use his voice again. He vowed to never be so silent.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU ARE," The pressure that had buried him earlier was now his strength, and he resolved to never feel that weakness again.

"I AM THE MAN WHO WILL BECOME…" He leaned back, balled up fists shaking as he screamed to the heavens, the most conviction he had ever brought into the world.

He would train more until he was the strongest in the world.

Giants would have to look up at him, as he would carry himself taller than any other.

He would never be seen as weak again. Not being a crybaby wasn't enough any longer. He would have to carry his conviction on his back.

People would only be able to see him as the one true…

"PIRATE KING!"

* * *

 **And that's all folks. Chapter one complete.**

 **Here's the Prologue to my newest story, something that I've been thinking about for a while but couldn't help putting to the screen last night.**

 **Hopefully you guys are all for the ride, and hopefully it's bump-free.**


	2. All Eyes on Me!

**Author's Note: I don't own One Piece.**

 **There's a good chance I will never own One Piece. However, neither will my ex-wife. Take that Tiffany.**

 **Leave a review!**

 **Chapter 1: All Eyes on Me!**

* * *

Animal roars reverberated through the heavy forests, shaking it by its foundations as the animals once again went into frenzy.

Areas once inhabited by humans were now empty, the dangerous forests having only snowballed into an unlivable region once the beasts of Mt. Colubo and the Midway Forest had grown too feral to control and too shrewd to avoid.

Higuma's former troop of ruffians had evacuated, along with the rest of the Mountain Bandits, unable to survive the new conditions of their Dawn Island mountain homes.

Only one section of the forest remained safe, and their inhabitants?

"Looks like he's at it again…" Dogra squealed, watching the herd of beasts stampede past their home, gathering together as a collective unit to attack. "This is crazy," The short man exclaimed, teeth chattering at the sight.

It was hard for him to stand at the window and watch what should only be seen on a nature documentary or the viciousness of the Grand Line, mostly because his knees shook and buckled against each other.

Magra watched as well, towering over Dogra as he watched the bears, tigers, and crocs of the forest knock down trees in their path, frowning the whole time. "I hope Luffy's okay…" He was clearly concerned.

Curly Dadan however, had bitten through her cigarette as the earthquake continued, and she threw up her hands indignantly, cursing the whole time.

"I hope that brat dies or leaves soon! I can't handle this crap anymore!"

* * *

"Gomu Gomu no…" He called out the attack's moniker lowly, watching the last of the titans approach, fist cocked back.

For as shrewd as the animals have gotten, gathering together to attack him and creating traps to ambush him over the past few years, they still couldn't help themselves when it came to direct and aggressive strikes.

The massive brown bear leapt into Luffy's range, and his rubber arm snapped back into position.

"Sike!" He grinned, and instead of striking the airborne bear, Luffy leapt up to meet him in his charge, and placed his palm flat on the terror's nose.

In that moment, he called back that familiar storm.

His breathing tranquil, all he could hear was the beat of his own heart. His eyes became shadowed as he looked his enemy in the eyes, and in that moment, the pressure had returned. That heat that had buried him once before, now empowered him, channeled through him and overwhelming the animal, subjugating his will.

There was an understanding in both their eyes as they both dropped to the ground, Luffy's steps light as bare feet hit the dirt, and the bear's weight heavy, shaking the earth below, much to the bandits continued chagrin.

"Sorry, that's enough for today! I've got to get going!"

Luffy's grin split his face, and he patted his new friend on the head, the bear submitting to him by bending it's front legs as if to bow.

The surrounding area was littered with clusters of unconscious animals of similar size, the largest animals of Mt. Colubo all defeated within a single day.

Nearby, a wooden board, once used to signify the rivalry between brothers, labeled the letter 'L' with a significant number of 0's. No wins to his name against his pirate brother Ace or his fallen brother Sabo.

And next to that, a shoddily cut wooden board, a round rough carving of his face in the flat driftwood, and underneath that was a cartoon doodle of what looked like a child's cat drawing.

While the drawings were barely decipherable, the numbers were seen clearly, written next to the words "King of the Forest".

1000 to 0.

* * *

Luffy poked his head in the doors of the glorified log cabin, face curious as he saw all the bandits gathered around the normal dinner area, avoiding his glances.

They hadn't said a word as he gathered his things from his room earlier, not that he had minded all too much, he hadn't stayed much in the past three years. All his time was spent training with the forest beasts and gathering strength.

"Oi, bastards! Come say goodbye! I'm heading off, won't ya miss me?!"

The bandits shoulders shook collectively, and no one lifted their head at the call. Dadan, with all the vigor she could manage, shouted, "Hell no! You've driven the beasts of this forest wild! Our chances of survival are slim to none because of you! To hell wit' ya!"

Luffy stared for a few moments, a thoughtful hm coming with it, before shrugging.

"Oh well, thanks for everything!" Luffy waved, not noticing the muffled sob from Dadan, her back shaking as he spoke. "I hate bandits!" He continued, only to catch a wooden chair to the head, his head wobbling.

"Shut it, brat!"

He continued on as if nothing happened, "But I like you guys the most!"

Luffy laughed as he shut the door behind him, not paying attention to the bandits loud crying as he departed, and ignoring the calls of "come back!" from an emotional Dadan.

As he hit the winding mountain path down towards Fuschia Village, only pausing as the injured animals of the forest blocked the trail and halted his journey.

Aggressive in nature, they all bared their teeth to him, attempting to intimidate him, but Luffy returned the favor, spreading his maw to show all his teeth. Every beast cowered backwards, and Luffy laughed at the sight, watching massive bears and tigers cow at the sight of him.

"Alright, listen up losers! I'm heading out, and when I do, I need you guys to take care of Dadan, and Dogra, and Magra, and Makino and the old man, and everyone on the island I care about, you got it!?"

With a pump of his fists, the beasts gave enlivened roars in response.

* * *

"Vhere ya go again, vatching the East again, what do you think you're doin'!" The woman called from the distance, not that he bothered to turn his head to her.

An anger mark appeared on her head, and within moments, the female shifted into a male form with a large head, towering over his cloaked leader.

"If you ignore me again, I vill show you true fear!" The Okama King yelled, his head growing even larger as he yelled at Dragon.

However the threat fell on deaf ears, the cloaked figure staring off the edge of the ship, towards the east.

The winds returned west to Dragon, and he smiled, aware of something, somewhere far off that no one else could ever know. Murmuring to himself, he left a message on the winds, hoping they'd reach his son.

"I wish you the best."

And he turned and stormed past Ivankov, causing the Newkama King to gawk in surprise. "Our business at Tequila Wolf is done for the time being! Let us return to the land of mysteries!"

His crew, all at once yelled, "TO BALTIGO!"

* * *

"Man, this is great weather…" Luffy sucked in a deep breath of the ocean air, the sun-spotted day keeping him in good spirits. The rainy season had left him foul and annoyed, so he was happy that East Blue's summertime had arrived once again, just at the crack of May.

Just in time for his journey.

"SABO!" Luffy suddenly yelled to the sky, the clouds parting at his call. He wasn't observant enough to appreciate the symbolism, but he called out anyway, "PLEASE WATCH ME! I'M JOINING ACE ON THE OPEN SEAS! AND I WILL BE THE STRONGEST PIRATE!"

Makino and old man Wood Slap watched from the distance, the young woman who had treated him like a sister waving eagerly, while the old codger complained furiously about the direction Luffy was taking.

"Hey, you guys!"

Makino and Wood Slap were waving vehemently, along with the rest of the Village Folks.

They seemed to be pretty ecstatic that he was heading off! "Heh, I guess you guys really believe in me, huh!" The fledgling pirate scratched the back, not even realizing the rising of the waters behind him, two red eyes burned into Luffy's back.

Now the villagers were jumping and screaming, and a few of the older men taking off their sandals and shoes as if to follow him into the water.

"Hm?" Luffy blinked, flabbergasted at the sight, until the rising shadow towered over his figure, darkening the wood and waters in front of him.

He turned his head with squared shoulders, his neck of rubber twisting and pinching. The Lord of the Coast, Dawn Island's notorious sea monster, even considered to be a local Sea King, was staring right back, teeth dripping with ocean water and drool.

Lots of drool.

Luffy grinned wide, "Oh, you want a bite out of me too, huh ya old bastard?!" His body spun around to meet the position of his neck and head, and just as the Lord of the Coast lunged, Luffy's eyes shadowed once again.

The Lord of the Coast's breath seemed to hitch, it's breathing stopped and its eyes growing sullen as Luffy held his palm out upright, "Stayyyy…" Luffy commanded, his own eyes shadowed beneath his straw hat.

The fish's snout fell against his palm, and Luffy gripped it, the pressure released and grinning widely as he patted it on the nose.

"Good fish…" And then Luffy's face twisted into an expression of rage, and his free hand struck out with great force, caving in the creature's cheek and sending it flying through the air in a single punch, Luffy's eyes whited as he yelled, "AND GIVE BACK SHANK'S ARM, BASTARD!"

The snake-like aquatic soared through the air, much to the shock of most of Foosha's villagers on the coast.

Even Makino, who had been regaled with Luffy's fables (though she supposed they were just facts he had been relaying now) of becoming King of the Forest, had her face twisted in shock.

Wood Slap fell on his ass, shaking as he watched the Lord of the Coast drop over a hundred meters away from its original position. The Lord of the Coast dropped with the force of a heavy belly flop, and slowly sank back underneath the water, eyes swirly in its unconsciousness.

"That b-boy is a monster!" He exclaimed, jaw as far as the floor at this point.

"Hehe, that explains why he didn't wanna take my fishing boat! It wouldn't handle the collateral damage," One of the men said aloud.

A woman giggled besides him, "Cute kid! I can't wait to see his face in the newspapers!"

Wood Slap's head comically grew in size as he rushed at the two, "STOP PRAISING HIM! He's going to ruin the town's reputation!" He yelled indignantly, only causing the village to laugh again.

Curly Dadan watched from the background, her head sticking out from behind one of the windmills, sniffling all the while. "That strong brat…"

Dogra and Mogra's head popped out just above Dadan's, Dogra riding on the taller man's shoulders. Both had a teasing smile on their faces as they sung, "But he's youuuur strong brat!"

"To hell with the both of you!" She responded with rage, a growl resounding from her.

A much larger growl followed, as the massive bear that Luffy had spent the last three years training against and beating on poked his head out above the other three's, looking sad at his King's departure.

The three bandit's eyes slowly glazed over as they stared at the beast, before shrieking in terror and hauling it back up the mountain, leaving a torn trail in the grass and paths beneath, and a load of dust and what may have been a pee trail, behind.

Luffy himself smiled to himself in the distance, his small rowboat reaching the edge of the horizon, aware of something he shouldn't be.

The edges of his senses was filled with light, representing the heart and spirits of the people he cared for so much, all of which faded as he made considerable distance between his beloved home island and himself.

"Alright… I'll miss you guys!" He called out, knowing they could no longer hear him.

Luffy began counting on each fingers, struggling the further he got, until he reached his last pinky finger, nodding heartily.

"Ten friends! Ten crewmates, that's all I need to become the Pirate King!"

He grabbed his oar and began to paddle, moving himself through the choppy blue with great strength.

"Also a flag, a good cook, to cook meat, a big monster, maybe a bear, lots of meat," Luffy pondered, talking to himself for the moment. But he definitely felt like he was missing something.

Boredom began to settle in, and then he snapped his fingers, grinning.

"A musician!"

* * *

The stunning melody of a keyboard's keys being played sauntered through the dark room, and a single spot light lit up on a man, dressed in a lipstick red suit with white frills hanging off the edge of his short coat and sleeve.

He raised his arms as the drummer in the corner began his percussion, "Could you be… the most beautifuuul girl, in the world!"

Another spotlight in the room lit up the star of the show, who the singer directed his attention to, a woman in a large white cowboy hat with a red plume, and dressed in a white gown and a necklace of pearls that barely fit around her neck, leaving red abrasions over her fat skin.

The spotlight shone on her, and her smile stretched across fat boiled cheeks.

The sight of her caused the singer question to dry heave, hands coming over his mouth, and it seemed like the song would stop.

But the light also began to shine on the obsidian club she leaned against the table, it's blunt but dangerous spikes glinting in the light, and the singer had no choice but to continue.

"I-It's plain to see! You're the reason that God made a girl!"

In the corner of the ship, a boy with pink hair shook as he held a blade to the cruise owner's neck under his own captain's command, the two of them watching Alvida's self-dedicated dinner and show with blanched expressions, a bit of green tinting their cheeks.

"Please," The ship's captain yelled from nearby, "Surrender our ship back to us! I can't take this anymore! At least throw us overboard, I'd rather swim back to shore!"

One of the many pirates involved with the seizure and capture of the cruise's work force and guests gave him a strong kick to the kidney, shushing him.

"Quiet! Alvida-sama's favorite part is coming up!"

Coby's eyes shut tight, and once again, he could only wonder.

' _Why me…'_

* * *

Somewhere in the distance, a young man scratched the back of his head, filled with mirth as his tiny rowboat spun around a whirlpool, momentum growing with each second and no sure sign of stopping.

Luffy's eyes closed as he laughed, the roar of the waves too loud to hear him over.

"Hehe, I'm in danger!"

Great start!

* * *

 **If you've ever seen Prince's music video for the Most Beautiful Girl in the World, then hopefully you were as confused as I was as a young boy.**

 ** _You have just gained access to the Beauty Experience_ is however, a line I use frequently when introducing myself to others.**

 **I remember Alvida had boarded a cruise ship in the beginning, and while I'm sure there's plenty of supplies to plunder and a couple of rich women's purses to rummage, not much treasure. So Alvida probably partook in... other resources while she was on the ship.**

 **Anyway... Back to the star of the show.**

 **Luffy had a hell of a meeting last chapter, calendared just right after his big brother Ace left for his adventure. This puts Luffy at 14.**

 **Dragon has ulterior motives in terrifying his son, maybe it's love and wanting to motivate him, or maybe, there's something MORE. Perhaps he's preparing Luffy for... Spoilers.**

 **Luffy in this chapter of course, has shown some abilities that he did not start off in our original manga (the source material I shall be using) with. Of course this is going to lead to major changes down the line, but for the moment, we will be exploring the canon of One Piece until things begin to divert beyond my control.**

 **The use of Haki in One Piece has shown to be based off many factors, the strength of a person being just a small facet. So I'm not stretching the imagination too far by saying that Luffy (someone with innate skill in all three Haki) could begin to learn the basics himself after being faced with it for an extended duration and with the right motivation.**

 **Also, if anyone has questions, leave a review and I'll answer them in the ending author's notes, or PM me and I'll be happy to answer you directly.**

 **Ishiyami out.**


	3. The Fairest in the Sea!

**Author's Note: I don't own One Piece.**

 **I do however, own several college textbooks that apparently became outdated within the few months I used them (approximately four times).**

 **I'd rather own One Piece, though.**

 **Please Review!**

 **Chapter 2: The Fairest in the Sea!**

* * *

 _On a Remote Island…_

A mass of strong men, of no uniform but one allegiance moved off the cruise ship in single file. Each of them carried a variety of items, sacks of jewelry, and crates of supplies, fishing equipment, and more.

At the end of the line, the youngest of the crew in bifocals and a strange pink haircut struggled to push along a crate of rations, heavier than he was, heaving as he forced it down the boarding ramp to the land.

The female captain's ship was docked right next to their plunder, on a remote island in East Blue, where they would relocate their cargo.

Alvida, long ago had claimed this uninhabited forest land as her own, and had built several holdings for her treasure, and a rendezvous point for the Alvida Pirates to resupply or rest after long journeys.

His seniors all guffawed at his effort, one of the men pointing in Coby's direction, "Oi, I wish Alvida-sama would throw you overboard already!"

Coby's fists tightened and pinched his eyes shut, "I'm doing my best!" He yelled back, trying not to take the mocking personally.

It had always been like this. Ever since he had accidentally stepped on Alvida's ship from his home island, a trading spot where her crew was gathering supplies.

Two years ago, he had made the biggest mistake of his life by stepping in front of the most hideous woman in the world, and now…

He would probably be here for the rest of his life.

"You can't make me sad…" Coby muttered under his breath as his slavers continued to mock him, "I'm already in despair!"

A glob of spit hit his forehead.

He did not speak up.

"Hey Coby, come grab this damn barrel that washed ashore, or it'll be your hide!"

He never spoke up.

* * *

All of them stood on their feet, barely able to retain their balance with the tight knots around their ankles, and the rope binding their wrists behind their backs.

All of those who had used this trip as a getaway from their stressful lives in business and work, now stood in single file to walk up this step ladder from maintenance, and onto this barely hanging plank, nailed to the side of the deck.

"Next!" Alvida called, alone with her victims as an elderly man, probably the tenth to do so, hopped unsteadily onto the center of the board, preparing to leap.

Those behind him gave halfhearted sobs, unable to find the strength to cry again after forty eight hours of this.

Alvida didn't really pay attention, the rhythmic sounds of splashing let her know that they had not decided to oppose her. That and the massive mace she carried over her shoulder, for insurance.

They would rather risk their lives trying to swim to the nearby shore than face the mace.

"Please, don't do this!"

"I have a family!"

Alvida snorted, a line of the stronger crewman in front of her, all prostrated to her, begging for their lives.

She had gathered them for a specific reason, "You wish to live? Then why not join my crew. I could use a few new boys, I've broken a few of my own over this journey…"

All the men blanched at the thought, and many vehemently shook their heads, but only one spoke aloud, the Captain himself.

"As if I would EVER align myself with a heartless… disgusting… FA—"

He never had a chance to finish. The crunching of bone was louder than any ocean as his head was crushed in a single swing of Alvida's mace, splattering the man's upper body all along the deck, drenching his crew and his guests, all watching in horror.

Alvida dragged her now sullied mace against the wood behind her, grinding the wood in an attempt to clean up.

"Hm… I think I must rescind my offer." She said distastefully, raising her dark mace once again.

There was a look of fury in her eyes, but she remained calm as she spoke, "I have a certain standard of cleanliness on my ship," She began to swing her mace above her head in a circle in a show of strength.

"And you're about to be a bit too messy for my tastes."

* * *

A large ape-like man inspected the barrel with interest as two other men of similar height and build forced it right-side up, grinning at the effort it had taken to wrench it upwards. It must be at least a hundred pounds.

"What do you reckon it is!?" He wondered aloud, knocking against it with a fist.

"Well it's no coffer, that's for sure." Another said, rubbing his chin in thought.

The third, the optimist, gave a crooked smile, "Rum, perhaps? Or maybe Sake?"

"If the captain finds out…"

"She can't find out, after all, it wasn't logged with the other supplies.

"We are the only ones who know about it after all!"

The three of them were all sharing the same smile, turning to the young cabin boy in the corner who shook in fear. "Right Coby!?" They all yelled at once, towering over the young'un.

"R-Right!" Coby saluted, shaking in his boots. "Please don't beat me!"

The three ignored the request, in favor of possibly getting drunk and beating Coby anyway at a later time.

However, as they all reached for the barrel, it exploded into splinters, two fists bursting from its edges and out of the opening, knocking two of Alvida's pirates out of their socks and knocked them against the roof above. "AHHHH! What a great nap!" The intruder screamed as his victims hit the floor with a dull thud.

The third remaining stared in shock, jaw to the ground and eyes bursting from his skull, "What the hell!?"

"I almost died!" Monkey D. Luffy yawned, having just awoken.

Meanwhile, two battered thugs were forcing themselves to their feet, groaning as the third shocked member glared at Luffy, death in his eyes.

Luffy, having seemed to just awoken, blinked, and pointed awkwardly at the four in the room besides me, "Who're you guys?" He asked in confusion.

A series of face faults followed. "WHO THE HECK ARE YOU!?" They yelled right back at him, not hearing him respond with his name as everyone but Coby converging on him. "Hiding in my barrel of—" Luffy raised a finger as they spoke, face twisted in concentration.

"Time to go!" Luffy leapt out of the barrel, grabbing Coby, the physically weakest of the group and the only one who hadn't come at him menacingly, and bounded towards a nearby window.

The thugs tried to stop him, just as a female shriek pierced through the air, "QUIT SLACKING!" Alvida's call was immediately followed with the mace she had sent flying in that direction, bursting through the wooden storage unit with the force of a small bomb, breaking down the building's foundation in a great explosion.

Dust and splinters rose in the air as all three of the men were downed, groaning as Alvida began to approach, her maw twisted into a menacing snarl.

"Which one of you was taking a 'nice' nap?" She pulled her mace out of the ground, the men only coming to as she raised it again,

"And which one of you plans to make it a permanent one!?"

* * *

Luffy had ended up leaping further than he had expected, Coby hanging under his arm and screaming as they moved through the air, the sound of the explosion only a step behind them, laughing when he touched ground.

"You're mad!" He yelled the moment he was allowed to touch the ground, an iron grip on the dirt beneath. "A mad man!"

Luffy ignored him, looking around. He hadn't expected to wake up on land, honestly. "Who are you? And where are we?"

Coby face-faulted at being ignored, but because the man HAD saved him moments earlier, he figured explanation was the least he could offer, especially if it would save him from Alvida's wrath.

"This is the breeding ground of the 'Iron Mace', Alvida. I'm her cabin boy, Coby." The end of that statement was quiet, ashamed even. "You should get out of here while you can… I'll be fine, she'll beat me, but she enjoys keeping me around to watch me suffer. But there's no telling what she'll do to you."

Luffy however, didn't seem to pay attention. "Ah… That's not important." Luffy pondered his situation, before turning to the dejected cabin boy, "You got a boat? Mine went down in a whirlpool."

Coby's surprise was evident on his face, "Whirlpool!?" Was that why the stranger had been in a barrel when they found him on the shore? "How'd you even survive?"

The Pirate turned and grinned, "I'm strong. Stronger than anybody around here." There was a silence that followed, and Coby couldn't help but believe him.

The confidence he exuded was awe-inspiring, but Luffy didn't see the admiration. He simply raised an eyebrow, "So… ship?"

Coby could only nod dumbly.

* * *

"An invader, eh?" Alvida had been calmed down by the begging of her subordinates, who had wet themselves at the thought of being beaten to death with an iron mace.

"That's right!" One of the three involved stated, nodding rapidly, wincing and grabbing his neck.

"With a red vest and a straw hat," One of Luffy's victims, having been knocked through the roof, recalled.

"Coby brought him in," The last growled gruffly, nursing a concussion, and trying to pin the blame on the whipping boy of the Alvida Pirates.

"Could it be someone trying to capture me? For the reward?" The obese pirate wondered aloud. Why else would someone come out to her remote base, not marked on any map, if not to attack her? Her face twisted into a dangerous expression as that last bit of information finally caught up, "Coby? That brat dares to betray me… After I let him live for so long!?"

"Could it be?"

"That famous bounty hunter…"

"But there's no way! He's still being held captive!"

Alvida held up a hand, silencing the chewing over on her possible assailant. "If he's the real thing, he's escaped by now."

The crew gasped, and Alvida's dangerous expression became ecstatic. Now she would prove her strength to the East Blue, by singlehandedly defeating the most dangerous swordsman in the sea.

"That notorious and evil pirate hunter… Roronoa Zoro!"

* * *

Luffy stood there with his pinky finger up his nostril, "What's this coffin for?"

Laid in front of him was the basic shape and size meant for a rowboat, but it was shoddily built, planks of wood just layered over each other and sharp nails sticking out of every orifice and point of the ship, barely curved to avoid becoming an Iron Maiden for whoever rode inside.

Coby deflated immediately, showing personal offense to the comment. "This is my boat… I've been working on it for two years in secret." He muttered, and Luffy perked up.

"Two years?" He questioned, head tilting to the side, "You don't want it anymore?"

Coby gripped the edges of the dinghy, looking down as he spoke. "I don't need it anymore, I can't use it. I was going to use this to run away, and reclaim my life from Alvida-sama, but I'm not brave," He shook as he spoke. "I'm going to do this for the rest of my life, I guess, even though I want to do something else…"

Luffy blinked.

"Uh, then leave?" Luffy said as if it was the most simple thing in the world, which only set Coby off.

"I CAN'T, don't you see!?" Coby exclaimed, his legs shaking, "Look, whenever I think of Alvida-sama finding out, my legs turn to mush! I can barely stand it!" His fists tightened and his eyes closed as he recalled his tragic backstory. "I was just trying to fish! But I accidentally walked onto this ship two years ago, and I had to do their bidding, just to stay alive!"

Luffy blinked, again.

"You're pretty stupid and useless," He said matter-of-factly. His face became jovial, and his hands hit his hips, "And wimpy too! Ha-ha!" Coby laughed nervously along with Luffy's hearty chortle.

But Coby couldn't help but ponder aloud, "You're right… If I was brave enough…" He muttered, before looking at Luffy, someone so simple yet had shown more strength in character than he had ever seen in a man before. "Why do you sail, Luffy-kun?"

The response was quick, without hesitation.

"I'm GOING to become the Pirate King!"

There was no doubt in his voice. This was the ambition of a man who refused to fail.

Nothing someone like Coby could understand. "P-Pirate King!? That's the title of the man who once had everything the world had to offer!" He was shocked. Maybe it was his inexperience with pirates outside of the Alvida Pirates, a crew who was very settled into their place as a sieging group in East Blue, but the idea that anyone would try to step into the boots left behind by the illustrious Gold Roger was maddening.

"You mean to tell me… that you're looking for the greatest treasure in the WORLD?" His voice was rising as he went on in his tirade. "You're looking for ONE PIECE?"

Luffy's expression did not change once. The smile on his face was still imbued with that same self-assurance.

Again, nothing someone like Coby could understand.

"You'll die!? Do you want to die!? All the Pirates in the world are looking for that treasure—"

"Including me," Interjected Luffy, but Coby was still going.

"Impossible! Impossible, I can't stand it! Impossible times three! Utterly, utterly impossible! To become the Pirate King of this era… There's no chance in hell— OW!" Coby hit the ground quick, a bump on his forehead the size of Luffy's fist, "Why'd you hit me!?"

Luffy rolled his eyes, "I can't stand you." He said, but there was no malice to it.

Self-deprecation took over, and Coby nodded, "Yeah, I get it! I'm used to it!" The fear of beating had shut him up and shut him down.

Luffy smiled and squatted in front of the fallen Coby, still on his ass after being struck by the pirate.

"Let me tell you something, I'm not afraid of dying. I don't plan to die; I've been working too hard for that." He made sure to clarify, not wanting to sound suicidal. After his experience three years ago, Luffy did not ever want to go out without a fight.

"But because it's my dream, that's why I wouldn't mind dying for it!"

' _Such resolution…'_ Coby couldn't help but think, Luffy's credence and conviction to his dream almost daunting. "You wouldn't mind dying?" The concept was foreign to him.

"It might be tough, but I've worked too hard, and have gone through too much just to sit back. I can do it." Luffy reaffirmed, mostly talking to himself at this point.

Coby on the other hand, was just replaying the last two years in his head, when he had believed the fear of death was his driving force. But all it had offered him was a miserable existence and clinging to a life he could not bear. There was no strength in his way of living.

Luffy however? He had barged into enemy territory and still spoke so proudly, he did not cower at the thought of Alvida. He wasn't even scared of her!

Could he live like that?

"If I'm willing to put my life on the line… Could I accomplish my own dream?" Luffy seemed confused, but Coby looked to him for the answer, "Can I… become a Marine?"

He waited for Luffy, a proud pirate, to step on his dreams and snuff him out, but Luffy was simply curious. There was no judgment, he was giving Coby the floor to speak.

"It would make us enemies… But my dream… my DREAM," He began to yell, no longer timid in announcing his goal, "Joining the Marines and catching bad guys! Do you think I can do it?!"

Luffy shrugged and smiled. "Who knows?"

"I know! I have to try!" Coby was in the zone now, squatting and shaking his fists, "I'd rather die than stay here another moment! I have to try to get out of here and join the Marines, and then… I'll arrest Alvida-sama!"

And the earth between them shattered, an iron mace splitting the ground between them in a manmade fissure, and the boat that Coby had put so many painstaking hours into shattered into splinters under his Captain's weapon.

"I'd like to see you try, brat!" She taunted, Alvida having snuck up on the two of them somehow, with several dozen men flanking her. "You thought you could escape me so easily?"

"M-My boat!" Coby almost sobbed, not even noticing the posturing between pirates. Alvida had made a step towards the traitor of her crew, but Luffy had stepped forward as well, subtly placing himself between Coby and Alvida.

"Is that who you hired to capture me? That doesn't seem to be Zoro…" She questioned, looking up and down at the teenager. A red vest and blue shorts, along with some flip flops and a straw hat. Not a menacing get-up, that's for sure. That and the lack of blades, assured that it wasn't Roronoa Zoro.

"Coby, I'll give you one more chance at survival!" She had grown attached to Coby. She didn't value the boy, but she found great enjoyment in bringing him down and destroying his confidence, "Who is the most beautiful woman in the world?"

Coby opened his mouth to speak, but Luffy interrupted, "Who's that fat lady, Coby?"

Half a hundred men and Alvida let their jaws hit the floor, having never heard such callous disrespect towards the Pirate Lady, unable to keep in their shock, and of them, Coby was the worst.

He was sweating bullets, face pale, and he began to shake Luffy, "Luffy-san! You can't say that, she is the most… the…" He trailed off, hard to find the motivation to grovel for Alvida with Luffy staring right at him. In his eyes was the challenge. Live on his knees, or lay down his life on his feet. His eyes watered, and Coby continued.

"Alvida is the rudest BITCH to ever sail the seas!" Luffy's laughter was drowned out by the baleful feeling of killing intent, Alvida towering over the both of them now with her mace, staring down at him with execrable eyes, raising her weapon.

"TIME TO DIE!"

' _NO REGRETS, I'VE ALREADY LAID MY LIFE DOWN FOR MY DREAM!'_ Coby thought, tears running down his eyes.

"You did good, Coby!" Luffy's first words of encouragement through this whole engagement, he held his arm out, "Make sure to stay still, and don't move from behind me!" Luffy yelled as the mace came down, showing no fear.

Alvida brought it down with all the strength she could muster, and Coby closed his eyes, waiting for the thunder clap. But it never came. The blow did not come no matter how long they waited, and he opened his eyes. The Iron Mace rested against Luffy's bare shoulder, no damage done.

Luffy grinned as Alvida dropped her mace in shock, letting it fall into Luffy's waiting hands, "W-What!?"

"Sorry, won't work!" Luffy grinned, and in his grip the iron began to crack, "I'm a rubber man!"

With his other hand, he pushed with all his might and the Alvida Pirates watched in shock as the mace bent and tore like rice paper. Alvida shook in fear, but Luffy wasn't done, throwing a hand back, and to the shock of all watching, it stretched back a full meter, "Gomu Gomu no…"

"He's eaten a Devil Fruit!" Someone called out, in shock of Luffy's abilities.

"PISTOL!" A single strike sent Alvida soaring through the air, her round body sailing until it went past the overhead trees, beyond sight.

"Alvida-sama!"

"His arm extended!"

"She's been beaten!"

Luffy jabbed his thumb towards Coby, "Prepare a ship! Coby's joining the marines!" He demanded, before adding in a footnote, "Also, I lost mine!"

The pirates nodded, and Coby shook at the sight, but the tears were no longer fear-filled, he was crying with joy as the cause of all his suffering disappeared, and he felt much freer.

"Luffy-kun…"

* * *

"So you're heading to the Grand Line, Luffy-kun?"

The Pirate nodded, seeming to ponder a different subject entirely.

"Then you'll need a ship, and a crew, and a lot more supplies! You seem woefully unprepared—"

"Hey Coby… What's that name the fat lady called me?" Luffy asked as they hit the water, Alvida's base-island far on the horizon.

After the defeat of Alvida, who they found half buried on the coast, the Alvida pirates gave them the last of their siege ships, the small boat filled with supplies for at least a few weeks, or in Luffy's case, three days.

"Roronoa Zoro, he's a dangerous bounty hunter, possibly the most dangerous man in East Blue." Coby recalled, having remembered stories from his time on Alvida's ship. There were very few men she feared, and he was one of them. "But he was captured by marines according to rumors, at Shell Town."

Luffy grinned, "Sounds like a cool guy."

"Don't even think about it!"

* * *

 **Here we explore another canon moment, just a few small changes for this part of the story.**

 **Coby's character is an original driving force in the One Piece story that I love, so I want to make sure that he continues on the right path. Someone realizing that they'd rather die for a dream than live miserably.**

 **And his hero admiration of Luffy of course, is just too adorable to pass up.**

 **Divergence is coming, and we'll begin to see more changes in Luffy as he's challenged.**

 **Not much to say here, except...**

 **See ya next time.**


End file.
